Empanada de Pino

Empanada de Pino (Chilean Beef Empanada)

Chile's national pastry: a buttery wheat-dough pocket wrapped around a savoury filling of minced beef, onion, a slice of hard-boiled egg, a green olive and a golden raisin. Best eaten warm on Fiestas Patrias.

Prep

45 min

Cook

35 min

Total

80 min

Serves

12 empanadas

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
• •120 g (½ cup) cold unsalted butter, cubed, traditionally manteca (rendered beef fat) is used at home
• •5 g (1 tsp) fine salt
• •180 ml (¾ cup) cold water, approx., add gradually
• •1 g (¼ tsp) saffron threads or sweet paprika (color), color - achote/azafrán de campo gives the golden hue
• •600 g (1 lb 5 oz) minced (ground) beef, about 12–15 % fat; not too lean
• •600 g (1 lb 5 oz) white onions, finely chopped, traditional ratio is roughly 1:1 meat to onion
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) vegetable oil or beef fat (manteca)
• •3 g (1 tsp) sweet paprika
• •2 g (1 tsp) dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
• •3 g (½ tsp) ground cumin
• •5 g (1 tsp) fine salt, adjust to taste
• •2 g (½ tsp) freshly ground black pepper
• •60 ml (¼ cup) beef stock or water, keeps the filling juicy
• •2 g (½ tsp) sugar, balances onion bitterness, optional
• •3 whole eggs, 1 beaten for wash + 2 hard-boiled for filling
• •60 g (2 oz) pitted green olives (Spanish-style), 1 per empanada
• •40 g (1.4 oz) golden raisins (pasas), 2–3 per empanada

Steps

1. 1 Make the dough: pulse flour, salt and cold butter in a bowl until you get coarse crumbs. Add water a little at a time and bring together into a smooth, firm dough. Wrap and rest 30 minutes in the fridge.
2. 2 Make the pino: heat oil in a heavy pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion with a pinch of salt and cook gently 10–12 minutes until soft and translucent, not browned.
3. 3 Add paprika, oregano, cumin, pepper and saffron/paprika for color; stir 30 seconds. Add the minced beef, breaking it up, and cook until it loses its raw color, about 6–8 minutes.
4. 4 Pour in the stock, taste and adjust salt. Cover and simmer 8–10 minutes so the onion melts into the meat and the filling stays juicy but not runny. The filling should be moist, not soupy - it will cook further inside the dough. Cool completely.
5. 5 Hard-boil 2 eggs: simmer 9 minutes from cold water, then chill in iced water. Peel and slice into 12 rounds.
6. 6 Roll the dough on a floured surface to about 3 mm (⅛ in) thick. Cut 12 cm (4¾ in) circles. Re-roll scraps.
7. 7 Assemble each empanada: place 1 heaped tablespoon (about 40 g) of cold pino on one half of a circle, leaving the edge clear. Lay on 1 egg round, 1 olive and 2–3 raisins.
8. 8 Fold the dough over to form a half-moon, press out air and seal by pressing edges together, then crimp with a fork or by twisting the rim (the classic 'repulgue') so it is fully closed.
9. 9 Place empanadas on a parchment-lined tray. Brush generously with beaten egg and optionally dust the top with a little paprika for color.
10. 10 Bake in a preheated 220 °C / 425 °F oven for 18–22 minutes, until the pastry is deeply golden and the filling reaches 75 °C / 165 °F at the center (check with an instant-read thermometer in one empanada).
11. 11 Rest 5 minutes before serving. Eat warm, ideally with pebre (cilantro, onion, ají, oil, lime) on the side.